Commission defers height-law decision on Trump arch
The National Capital Planning Commission voted Thursday to approve preliminary site and building plans for President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, advancing the project despite overwhelming public opposition and deferring a decision on whether the structure must comply with a federal building height law.
The commission, composed of 12 members including three Trump appointees, voted 8-1 in favor of preliminary approval, with three commissioners voting present. Commission Chair Will Scharf said the panel would continue deliberations on whether the Height of Buildings Act applies to the project.
Staff had recommended that the commission grant preliminary approval but request changes to redistribute the arch’s height to comply with the law, which limits building heights in the Washington area. Scharf said the Interior Department, which oversees the federal land where the arch would be built, had provided a legal analysis that made a “compelling argument” that the law is not binding on the federal government.
The arch would rise 250 feet — more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial at 99 feet and close to half the height of the Washington Monument at about 555 feet. It would stand on a traffic circle at the Virginia end of the Memorial Bridge, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Opponents say the arch would disrupt the carefully designed view that was intended to symbolize the reunification of the North and South after the Civil War.
During nearly three hours of public testimony, several dozen people opposed the project, citing concerns about the arch’s size, its proximity to Arlington National Cemetery, vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety. Some argued that Congress must approve the arch — a position Trump has rejected.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the arch’s design in May. The National Capital Planning Commission began reviewing the arch plan in June. A final vote on the project could come at the commission’s next meeting in September, Scharf said.
Trump has said the arch could be paid for with unused funds from donations raised for a $400 million ballroom under construction at the White House. The White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch. The Guardian reported that some public money will be used for both projects.